Test sample container



June 6, 1961 A. H. FREE ETAL TEST SAMPLE CONTAINER Filed May 6, 1960INVENTORS ALFRED hf FREE MAR/ON C FETTER BY k6 fim ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 2,987,174 TEST SAMPLE CONTAINER Alfred H. Free and MarionC. Fetter, Elkhart, Ind., assignors to Miles Laboratories, Inc.,Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed May 6, 1960, Ser. No.27,318 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in containers for collecting, shipping and testing devicesfor liquid specimens for industrial and diagnostic sampling. Moreparticularly it embraces improved devices for collecting biologicalfluids, such as urine, blood and the like for preservation duringstorage and transportation by mail and similar means to a laboratorywhere the specimens may be readily tested for the determination of thepresence of various materials for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

In certain industrial processes fluids may be present in various degreesof concentration and hence necessitate constant checking. In addition,the chemical contents of fluids used in various processes may likewisenecessitate such close supervision as is possible only with the aid of acomplete laboratory and laboratory staff. Small concerns may with theaid of the device of this invention, sample their various chemicalformulations, and ship these samples in the compact, unitary mailablecontainer herein described by air or mail without incurring an excessiveamount of expense or necessitating an expert chemist or technologist.

Likewise, in the diagnosis of various body fluids for sugar content,albumin, blood and the like or where some of the more compleximmunological or pathological tests necessitating excessively complexlaboratory procedures are necessary, it is a decided advantage to beable to transmit a sample of the biological fluid to a laboratory whereadequate means is provided for the carrying out of the necessary tests.Such a device is also primarily adapted for use in emergencies where apatient cannot be readily moved or cannot afford the expense of travelto a properly equipped test laboratory or where urine samples must beshipped daily in order to provide a constant check on the patients dietand progress.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a simple improvedmeans for collecting a biological fluid specimen such as urine, dryingthe specimen, preserving it and providing means for shipping it by mailor otherwise without deterioration or decomposition of the sample.

Another object hereof is to provide a shipping container which includesa desiccant for drying the specimen.

Still another object is to provide a sampling device which has a numberof individual areas which maybe separately tested without riskingcontamination by a previous test.

It is an additional object to provide an economical sample container andshipping container which can be easily disposed of and necessitates nocleaning and washing of laboratory equipment.

Another object is to provide a sampling device which has its ownindividual coding number impressed adjacent the sample for facilitatingand simplifying the keeping of records with respect to the various testsundertaken.

These and other objects will be readily understood and the novelfeatures of the present invention will become obvious upon reference tothe accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a shipping folder constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the sample container in closedcondition; and

FIGURE 3 is a view of a metallic foil, moisture impervious envelope withthe urine sample shipping folder sealed therein.

Referring in more detail to the drawings illustrating a preferredembodiment of this invention, '1 is a moisture-proof envelope of plasticor preferably of metallicfoil construction. The edges 1a ofmetallic-foil envelope 1 are preferably sealed by crimping. The envelopeis opened by cutting with a pair of scissors along one edge as indicatedby the broken line 1b, whereafter the folder 2 may be extracted byshaking. The folder 2, FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises cardboard front cover 3and back cover 4 folded along edge 5 to form a composite unit. Insidefront cover member 3 is a sheet or porous cellulose package or pad ofdesiccant material 6, i.e. silica gel. A similar type of desiccantmaterial 7 is on the inside back cover member 4. A porous woven plastic,glass cloth or similar porous non-wettable material 8 covers both sheetsof desiccant material 6 and 7 and is fastened to the inside of foldercovers 3 and 4 by staples 9, 10, 11, 12. A tab of cellulose 13 orsimilar bibulous urine sample absorbing material is stapled or otherwisefastened to a flap 14 of folder 2. Flap 14 may be folded along edge 15so that cellulose tab 13 may be made to lie over sheet of desiccantmaterial 7 with the non-wettable woven plastic 8 sandwiched in between.by folding front cover 3 along edge 5, the sheet of desiccant material 6will overlie cellulose tab 13 with the porous non-wettable woven plasticmaterial 8 sandwiched in between. -In this assembled folder thecellulose tab 13 impregnated with the urine sample is separated from andkept out of direct contact with desiccant pads 6 and 7 by the porouswoven plastic material 8 which, however, allows free passage of watervapor from the urine sample on absorbing tab 13 to the sheets ofdesiccant material 6, 7.

Preferably, the cellulose tab 13 is divided into separat individualareas or sections for each test run by being provided with water-proofbarriers or separator strips 16 which are formed by impregnating tab 13transversely along narrow areas with a solution of cellulose acetate, ora similar plastic dissolved in acetone and thereafter evaporating thesolvent to form discrete sample holding areas. These barriers 16 ensurethe proper degree of saturation of each area when water is added to oneunit area in order to carry out a diagnostic test while maintaining anadjoining unit area dry. Thus each separate area is uncontaminated andavailable for use in specific test reactions for subsequent diagnostictests. These barriers 16 also serve as guides for cutting off unitportions of urine specimens for use in test tube reactions and solventextraction of urine ingredients.

For most biological samples, the sample collecting cellulose tab 13 isimpregnated with a suitable preservative agent such for example as a0.1% aqueous solution of phenylmercuric acetate and the impregnated tab13 is then dried leaving the phenylmercuric acetate preservative in thecellulosic tab 13. Various other preservative agents such asphenylmercuric nitrate, phenylmercuric gluconate, and similarpreservative compounds may be used.

Preferably, the folder 2, having an over-all dimension of 2 /2 by 5inches in size, may be readily placed in its moisture imperviousmetallic foil or plastic container 1, FIG. 3, which in turn can beinserted into an ordinary envelope and mailed to a testing laboratory.At the laboratory satisfactory tests may be made by effectingappropriate adaptations of existing tests for glucose, protein, andblood. Thus in the case of a glucose test the procedure is modified byadding 3 drops of water to one of Then a ate the sections of tab '13 andallowing the test section to soak for about 30 seconds whereupon a teststick of a prepared type containing glucose oXidase, a peroxidative typeof reactant and an indicator is pressed against the water saturated testsection and after removal a reading such as by indicator color changemay be made from the test stick. Similarly a protein test may be carriedout by simply using the requisite stick tests pressed against otherwater saturated sections of tab 13.

In the case of a test for blood in urine the procedure is modified byplacing a prepared test tablet directly on a dry section of tab 13. Thetablet preferably contains an indicator such as orthotolidine, aperoxide such as strontium peroxide, calcium acetate, tartaric acid,sodium bicarbonate and perhaps a masking red dye. Three drops of waterare added to moisten the tablet and the reagents are washed down ontothe dry section of tab 13. At the end of two minutes, the development ofa blue color on the section of the tab 13 immediately around the tabletindicates the presence of blood in the urine sample.

A more exact test for glucose in urine, a test of a more quantitativetype than the stick test, can be carried out by the followingmodification of a tablet type test. A section of the dry device (i.e.tab 13) is cut off and placed in a test tube. Then 1 ml. of water isadded to extract the glucose and the test tube shaken vigorously andintermittently for about one minute. The paper is then removed from thetest tube and a glucose test reagent tablet added. The tablet preferablycontains copper sulfate, citric acid, sodium hydroxide and sodiumcarbonate. Heat sufficient to boil the solution is provided by thesolution of the sodium hydroxide and the reaction between sodiumhydroxide and citric acid. Fifteen seconds after the boiling stops, thetest tube is shaken gently and the color reaction is compared with aspecial color chart for the twodrop method of determining the glucosecontent of a sample. This gives a quantitative determination whereas thestick test above described is merely qualitative and indicates thepresence or absence of glucose.

It is to be noted that by using the device of this inven tion, theproblems due to spilling or leaking of urine and the danger of breakingthe container during transportation are all eliminated. In addition theuse of a preservative insures no deterioration of the urine specimen andthe small compact size of the sample holding device renders it easilycarried in the pocket or purse. In addition the dry type packhercindescribed is readily mailable.

A number of other advantages accrue in the use of the device of thisinvention. Thus, the dry unused portions of the tab 13 may be filed awayfor future testing. Furthermore, the specimens are odorless and have amuch 4. more acceptable appearance than normal urine samples. With thepreservative present in the tab 13, the samples may be storedindefinitely.

It is to be noted that a number of changes and modifications in theform, construction and arrangement and combination of the various partsof this shipping and preserving container may be made without departingfrom the principles herein described and the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for collecting and transporting a urine sample comprising afront sheet and a back sheet each sheet having an inner and outer faceand being joined along a common edge to form a folder which in closedposition places the inner face of a front sheet in closely contiguousposition with an inner face of a back sheet, a layer of moistureabsorbent material on the inner face of each sheet, a non-wettableporous screen on each layer of moisture absorbent material, a section ofbibulous urine sample absorbing material affixed to one edge of thefolder and foldable into the opened folder between the non-wettableporous screens and out of direct contact with the layers of absorbentmaterial and a deposit of urine preservative material on the bibulousmaterial to stabilize the urine sample.

2. A device for collecting and transporting a urine sample according toclaim 1 wherein the mositure absorbent material on the inner face ofeach sheet is silica gel.

3. A device for collecting and transporting a urine sample according toclaim I wherein the urine preservative material on the bibulous materialis selected from the group consisting of phenylmercuric acetate,phenylmercuric nitrate and phenylmercuric gluconate.

4. A device for collecting and transportating a urine sample comprisinga front sheet and a back sheet each sheet having an inner and outer faceand being joined along a common edge to form a folder which in closedposition places the inner face of a front sheet in closely contiguousposition with an inner face of a back sheet, a layer of moistureabsorbent silica gel on the inner face of each sheet, a non-wettableporous screen on each layer of moisture absorbent silica gel, a sectionof bibulous urine sample absorbing material affixed to one edge of thefolder and foldable into the opened folder between the non-Wettableporous screens and out of direct contact with the layers of absorbentsilica gel and a deposit of phenylmercuric acetate as a urinepreservative material on the bibulous material to stabilize the urinesample.

No references cited.

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